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December 13, 2013

TransForm e-news: December 3, 2013Your monthly pass to world-class public transportation and more wonderful, walkable communities.

Today is #GivingTuesday, a national effort to reclaim the spirit of giving – following the consumption-focused Black Friday and Cyber Monday – with a groundswell of support for our communities.

You’re an important part of TransForm’s community. Thanks to you, we’re building a statewide movement for real transportation choices, and that’s why we hope you’ll make a #GivingTuesday donation today.

Our #GivingTuesday features really cool prizes throughout the day, and an awesome matching gift to double your impact. #GivingTuesday is a part of a larger campaign to help us raise $50,000 by December 31 to support our 2014-2018 vision to curb climate change and promote health, justice, and opportunity for all Californians.

Please donate now – and see who else is showing the #GivingTuesday spirit on Twitter at @TransForm_Alert.

Urge your city to reduce climate pollution by supporting more affordable homes near transit

With the new year fast approaching, we’re gearing up for the next round of decisions about how to spend auction proceeds from the state’s cap-and-trade climate program. It’s been proven that including affordable homes near public transportation is an important and effective strategy for reducing climate pollution. Yet cities in particular have been hit hard by the loss of redevelopment funding that was critical to building affordable homes.

So we’re reaching out to cities throughout California to urge their support of investing cap-and-trade funds in transportation choices and affordable homes near transit. We’re getting good responses from mayors and councilmembers, but they need to hear from their constituents, too.

Email your city leaders now and ask them to pass a resolution calling for these investments as soon as possible.

No news is good news for zero-parking Garden Village

On November 4, silence was golden for Garden Village, our first zero-parking, platinum level GreenTRIP certification. That was the deadline for appeals challenging the approval of this new downtown Berkeley development – and there were none!

Garden Village will feature 77 units and an organic roof-top farm. Our GreenTRIP staff worked with them to eliminate the need for a $3 million garage by designing a great suite of alternatives, including free car share membership for residents with a pod of 4-6 on-site vehicles. Residents will also be offered an AC Transit EasyPass, allowing unlimited rides on AC Transit; a BikeLink card pre-loaded with $10; a bike fix-it station; a pedestrian grocery cart for larger loads; and on-site travel support including a digital travel concierge.

We’re thrilled to see this project clear its final planning hurdles and look forward to working with more zero-parking projects in 2014. Learn more about GreenTRIP here.

Slow down, MTC - let's ensure the best roll-out of Plan Bay Area

Last month, MTC staff unveiled their initial plan for spending the $3.1 billion of state cap-and-trade revenues the agency anticipates receiving over the life of Plan Bay Area. The staff proposal largely reflects the spirit of the Plan and proposes funding programs we strongly support, such as focusing significant funds on repair and maintenance of our core public transportation systems and operations region-wide. However, TransForm and dozens more are concerned that the voices of those most impacted by climate change and key parts of the Plan have gotten lost in the shuffle. With little initial public input, the proposal is moving forward quickly.

On December 18, the Commission will be asked to approve an initial plan for cap-and-trade spending. Join TransForm in speaking on behalf of sound public input to ensure the region's cap-and-trade spending plan has an emphasis on benefiting disadvantaged communities.

Bay Area Air District sets ambitious goal for climate health

As the devastating impacts of climate change are becoming increasingly clear, the Bay Area is showing even more leadership. The Bay Area Air Quality Management District has set an ambitious greenhouse gas reduction target of 80% below 1990 levels by 2050.The agency unanimously adopted a resolution on November 6 to set the target, calling for specific performance objectives to help the region meet that goal.

The next steps are for staff to develop an implementation plan, which will impact everything from roads to refineries. Unlike other jurisdictions seeking to reduce climate pollution, the Air District has real regulatory teeth – so if implemented effectively, this resolution is poised to take a significant bite out of emissions. Kudos to the Air District Board and staff for taking bold steps to heal the region’s health and climate.

Thank you for making our fall event a success!

Over 140 supporters gathered on November 14 to toast the future of world-class public transportation and walkable communities at TransForm 2018: Innovation and Opportunity for All. Click here to take a peek at photos of the festivities.

As Assemblywoman Nancy Skinner noted in her remarks to the crowd, TransForm is a catalyst for a better future for the Bay Area and California. More than just a party, our fall event raised over$15,000 to help TransForm make an even bigger impact in communities throughout the state. We’re grateful for all who could attend and those who were with us in spirit.

Missed the fun? You can still pitch in with a donation to our TransForm 2018 campaign.

Streetsblog is hiring a Sacramento reporter

Calling all writers interested in seeing livable streets throughout California: Streetsblog is hiring for a full-time reporter based in Sacramento. This position, officially part of Streetsblog Los Angeles, will cover the legislature, executive branch, Caltrans, High-Speed Rail and other issues outside of the Greater Los Angeles and Bay Areas beginning in early 2014.

TransForm looks forward to having a Streetsblog reporter in the Building to help shed light on key state policy issues like public transportation funding, cap-and-trade allocations, CEQA reform, and the Active Transportation Program. Please help spread the word!

TransForm's website is getting a makeover – can you help?

We’ve got ambitious plans to make our site more beautiful and easier to navigate than ever before, and there are two ways you can help us succeed.
First, we need an experienced web developer to help us get the job done. Are you an experienced Drupal developer? Do you know one? We are accepting proposals through December 11. Click here for more details.

If you’re not a developer, we’d love your opinion! We need user feedback mid-December through early January, and help testing the new site late February through mid-March. Please contact Jenn Lavelle if you are interested in providing feedback and/or testing the new site.

New names and faces at TransForm

Wondering who the unfamiliar name in your email inbox is? We’re excited to welcome Bianca Taylor as TransForm’s new Communications Associate. Keep an eye out for emails coming from Bianca, who will be sending TransForm’s important e-news and action alerts while Communication Director Shannon Tracey is on maternity leave during the first part of 2014.

And while we’re making introductions, please join us in welcoming several other recent additions to the TransForm team: Geoffrey Johnson, Anjali Mehta, Jenn Lavelle, and Jo Ann Prompongsatorn. Learn more about TransForm’s new (and not so new) staff members here.

Upcoming events: Get info about Climate Ride 2014!

Below is a sampling of upcoming events for December and early 2014. Visit TransForm’s events webpage frequently for details on transportation-related events in the Bay Area and beyond.

Bring your lunch to our office in downtown Oakland for an information session with the Climate Ride 2014 ride director and members of our team, the TransForm Carbon Crushers. We'll get an overview of the event and the resources available to help you train, fundraise, and ultimately conquer the 250 miles from San Francisco to Sacramento on two wheels.

Please contact Anjali Mehta with questions, or just come on by with your lunch.

Caltrain Holiday TrainSaturday, December 7 and Sunday, December 8th at 4:00pm

The Caltrain Holiday Train, a Bay Area tradition since 2001, is a free family event that brings together thousands of local community members during the holiday season. Decorated with 60,000 lights, the show-train will visit nine Caltrain stations between San Francisco and Santa Clara on the nights of December 7th and 8th, and collect donations of toys for local children along the way.

Register now for the 2014 Silicon Valley Transportation Summit to promote improved transportation networks and complete communities in Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties. The summit aims to foster deep community engagement, meaningful participation in transportation and land use planning processes, and will provide training as well as a chance to connect with key players in the transportation movement.